Roy Disney turns it up a notch

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-02-05 01:24am

From http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=101634

In a blistering filing made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, dissident shareholder Roy E. Disney has renewed his attack on the corporate management and board of directors of The Walt Disney Company, explicitly referring to Disney chairman and CEO Michael Eisner as an "Emperor" and the board of directors as sycophantic imperial "court."

Surveying the history of the Disney empire since the opening of the often-beleaguered EuroDisney theme park in France, the document, which was filed by Shamrock Holdings, charges that Eisner led the company into abandoning the innovative efforts of the past for mere "global brand marketing" schemes that have led to the company's recent poor performance. "Rebranding the Disney image became more important than enhancing the classic Disney assets," the document charges.

Ranging far and wide, Shamrock's filing

* condemns the1995 purchase of Capital Cities/ABC as an exercise in empire-building that created a "multi-armed conglomerate … beyond [Eisner's] capabilities to manage—both administratively and creatively";

* decries the marginalization of Featurre Animation and Imagineering—once "core businesses"—into "'high risk' niche properties";

* analyzes the failure of Disney's California Adventure as following from a "top down" business model that starts with financial assumptions rather than "innovating and designing the Park from the bottom-up based upon what the consumer would expect for the price of admission";

* predicts that ABC Family Channel, which was bought with the avowed purpose of "recycling" Disney programming, will "disappear" from the company's portfolio, thanks to a continuing inability to position the cable network as a popular programming destination.

The root of the problem, Shamrock argues, is a corporate culture that values "marketing" over creativity: "The product is no longer what matters most, just how you sell it." That corporate culture, in turn, is insulated by "denial and a lack of self-criticism" and perpetuated by "a staid and inbred group under the singular imperial rule of an Emperor (Michael Eisner) and his enabling Court (The Board of Directors)." The filing notes that Eisner has collected more than $250 million in compensation over a period of time during which Disney shareholders have seen only a 2% annual return on their investment.

The filing ends by urging shareholders to vote against Eisner and board members George Mitchell, Judith Estrin, and John Bryson in an upcoming shareholder vote.

Meanwhile, Eisner and and other senior Disney managers will speak to investors at a conference scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, February 11 & 12, 2004.

BlkbrryTheGreat · Post by **BlkbrryTheGreat** » 2004-02-05 01:59am

Further evidence of the "crappy" Disney culture is the past and continued hostility the "higher" ups have towards the original and absolutly captivating show Gargolyes.

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-02-05 02:03am

BlkbrryTheGreat wrote:Further evidence of the "crappy" Disney culture is the past and continued hostility the "higher" ups have towards the original and absolutly captivating show Gargolyes.

Gargoyles was the most dramatic series they have ever done - and I still can believe that they gave it the boot for the 101 Dalmations animated series.

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2004-02-05 01:00pm

Another symptom, the rash of sequels that now come out versus original animations...

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2004-02-05 03:53pm

JME2 wrote:
BlkbrryTheGreat wrote:Further evidence of the "crappy" Disney culture is the past and continued hostility the "higher" ups have towards the original and absolutly captivating show Gargolyes.
Gargoyles was the most dramatic series they have ever done - and I still can believe that they gave it the boot for the 101 Dalmations animated series.

the original gargoyles was excellent, but imo the Goliath Chronicles sequel was rather mediocre.

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-02-05 09:06pm

Darth_Zod wrote:
JME2 wrote:
BlkbrryTheGreat wrote:Further evidence of the "crappy" Disney culture is the past and continued hostility the "higher" ups have towards the original and absolutly captivating show Gargolyes.
Gargoyles was the most dramatic series they have ever done - and I still can believe that they gave it the boot for the 101 Dalmations animated series.
the original gargoyles was excellent, but imo the Goliath Chronicles sequel was rather mediocre.

That I will concede. Still, the first two seasons kicked ass - there's no denying that.

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2004-02-05 09:12pm

I didn't care for Gargoyles that much aside from Demona (===D~), but I recognize that it had a bit of intelligence put into it, unlike their current mindless crap that I can't stand to watch after a few seconds.

Pablo Sanchez · Post by **Pablo Sanchez** » 2004-02-05 10:05pm

Disney used to rock, but now it just sucks ass. I hope Roy comes out of this one with a victory... and with the company sucking as much ass as it has lately, a concentrated effort by the Big Man's son might actually work.

BTW, I remember seeing Michael Eisner on TV introducing features just like Walt Disney did back in the day--except that Eisner is a greasy corporate lawyer who exuded no warmth or charm. I hate that son of a bitch. Disney used to be awesome...

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-02-05 10:17pm

Hamel wrote:I didn't care for Gargoyles that much aside from Demona (===D~), but I recognize that it had a bit of intelligence put into it, unlike their current mindless crap that I can't stand to watch after a few seconds.

What they had was a Master plan that had Disney not canceled it would have made it much more marvelous that what we saw during the first three seasons.

Isolder74 · Post by **Isolder74** » 2004-02-07 03:05am

Pablo Sanchez wrote:Disney used to rock, but now it just sucks ass. I hope Roy comes out of this one with a victory... and with the company sucking as much ass as it has lately, a concentrated effort by the Big Man's son might actually work.

BTW, I remember seeing Michael Eisner on TV introducing features just like Walt Disney did back in the day--except that Eisner is a greasy corporate lawyer who exuded no warmth or charm. I hate that son of a bitch. Disney used to be awesome...

To make it worse he got were he is because of a lawsuit just after Walt Died. The Will Stated that Roy was to head the Company but Eisner got the will overturned because Roy was not "old" enough to run a company(he was in his teens) Ever sence Eisner has made sure Roy could not get rid of him unless a majority(AKA all) of the share holders vote against him.